When it Rains, It Pours...

I'll be honest; these last few months have been HARD!  We started out with a few fun events. For example, in February, we saw comedian Tom Papa at Foxwoods Resort, and in the first week of April, we saw comedian Nate Bargatze at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. 

However, the fun didn't last long...  In March, Bruce came into the house limping. We hoped that, with rest, his hind leg would feel better. However, after two weeks of rest with no change, he had an X-ray, and we discovered not one but two of his "knees" had torn ACLs.  He needed a surgery called a TPLO, which cost $13,000. His recovery would be a full eight weeks, with very strict guidelines about taking him out on a leash and walking him short distances multiple times per day. 

In the midst of Bruce's recovery, my son Lewie was rushed by ambulance to the hospital on a random Thursday afternoon.  He told my mother he couldn't pee and felt uncomfortable. A few hours later, the discomfort turned into excruciating pain--Lewie couldn't stand upright and was crying in agony. My mom let my husband and me know she couldn't wait for us to come home from work; she had to dial 911. It's a good thing she did!  The nurses at the hospital said if Lewie had arrived only a few minutes later, his bladder would have ruptured!

Evidently, Lewie had a blockage in his urethra from "scar tissue." We don't know how he was injured, but a theory is that it came from a bad UTI he had back in 2020.  They had to "puncture" his urethra to help him pee, but they told us the puncture was just a temporary fix. He would need to return again in a week for a formal surgery to remove the blockage. The formal surgery sounded harmless enough--that is, until Lewie came home with a catheter he'd have to wear for five days!  To recap, Lewie had to have his urethra punctured, cut, and then probed with a catheter--his nerve endings kept him in unrelenting pain, and the bleeding didn't stop until three days later. I wouldn't wish what he went through on my worst enemy! At one point, he was developing dark circles under his eyes due to lack of sleep. It was just too uncomfortable!

The day Lewie could finally go back to the doctor to have his catheter removed was a good day. Lewie said he felt AMAZING, and I went to a higher education conference that was fun, too.  That night, having exhaled after all the excitement from the past week, my mom...FELL.  She tripped over Bruce's toys, and down she went. Her right hand was a bloody mess, and she knew immediately that she had done something to her foot.  She couldn't put pressure on it.  Hubby and I knew what we had to do... An ambulance arrived at our house again--this time for Grammy.  They examined her for her fall, took her vitals, and concluded she needed to be evaluated at the hospital.  Almost 12 hours later, they bandaged up her foot, confirming she fractured three bones, and wanted her to go to physical therapy immediately to teach her how to get around using a walker and hopping on one foot. The only problem is that my mom's leg is too weak for hopping, and her right arm is too injured to navigate a walker. We brought her home, but it hasn't been easy.  I'll spare the details, but I am essentially learning what it's like to be a caregiver--it's not easy at all!!!

They say bad things happen in threes.  I hope this is the end for us.  Bruce has another four weeks of recovery, and my mom now has six weeks.  June is going to be a long month. I'm sure we'll figure out a way to get through it, but we're all in a rush to get back to our old sense of normalcy. 

Mother's Day 2026 before Lewie's surgery and my mom's fall.

A Winter to Remember

I'm writing this post on the first full day of spring. When I look out the window, most of the snow is gone, and there are a few American Robins scouting our lawn for worms. The high will be in the 50s today, and I'm ready for it!

Our winter in CT this year reminded me of the winters I remembered growing up--the kind of winter where we would get snow, then another day of fresh snow, and then another--one piled on top of the other until late February or March when the sun would be strong enough to begin melting it away. We also had bitterly cold weather — for much of February, it was too cold to take my Bruce out for a hike.

Nonetheless, while it was challenging to be stuck indoors for weeks at a time, it was also nostalgic — reminding me of what it was like in years past.  I started to complain when I couldn't go out for a walk, but that frustration quickly turned to gratitude.  For over a decade now, our winters have been mild--light snow one day, rain the next, snow, melt, rain, repeat. My son, knowing these mild winters well, couldn't understand the types of winters I remembered until this year. Then he got to enjoy it, too. He went hiking with me a few times and then skiing with the Ski Club after school. Last year, we paid for a four-day ski pass, but he only used it once. This year, he was able to go all four times.

We also had seven old-fashioned snow days--yes, seven! I call them old-fashioned because they were full days off.  There was no obligation to be online in front of a screen. Instead, we could sleep in, eat well, play games, and get some rest and relaxation. (I used the time for studying.) 

Going back to school has kept me from regularly posting on my blog, but here are some of my favorite pics from our old-fashioned winter...

In January, we started with a wisp of snow, but soon we had storms that totaled up to 18 inches in some places.  On one hike, Hubby and I had a chance to go immediately after a storm--it was magical with the snow still glistening on the trees all around us. On other hikes, I was able to take my trusted companion Bruce. He typically likes to lead the way, and every once in a while, I can get him so excited that he runs and goes into "puppy mode."

In January, we spent one day snow tubing with Lewie's cousins. We had gone many times with friends, but this was the first time with family. It was a blast! Unfortunately, since we were all scattered, I didn't get any photos of us on the mountain, but I did manage to get this pic of us chilling at our favorite restaurant afterwards. 

Yes, it was a "real" winter this year. If I still had ice skates, I could have gone skating at some of our local ponds. Even our town hosted a "skate day," where people brought their own ice skates, while they served cookies and hot chocolate.  

Of course, like all "real" winters, there comes a time when we tire of the snow. For me, the excitement ended around the second week of March after we got our first warm day in the 70s!!! The warm spell didn't last long, but it was enough for me to crave the new season. I can't wait to see the first green, yellow, and purple sprouts of spring flowers... They haven't arrived yet, but I know they are ready to make an appearance soon!

A "Back to the Future" Holiday and My Resolution for the New Year

Every year, we do a themed Christmas card. We started with Christmas jammy photos, then moved on to costumes. Over the years, we have been the Tooth Fairy, a Leprechaun, and a Christmas Elf; an alien, spaceship, and Earth; Bigfoot, a tree, and a forest ranger; and the circus Strong Man, Lion Tamer, and Ring Master. 

This year, in honor of the 1985 movie Back to the Future, we decided to dress up like Doc, Marty McFly, and Lorraine Baines McFly. (The movie celebrated its 40th anniversary!) Lew and I loved the movie when we were growing up, and Lewie enjoyed watching it a few years back at a unique drive-in movie theater in Utah. It's tough getting these two to agree on a theme, but this one was a homerun. No one objected!

On our card, we listed quotes like, "I'm from the future," "That's Calvin Klein. He's an absolute dream!" and "Great Scott!"  We had fun wishing everyone a holiday filled with laughter, cheer, and a little time travel. (Yes, sometimes I'd like to go back in time, too...)

On another note, each year I write a New Year's post about resolutions. Like our holiday cards, my New Year's resolution posts have transformed over the years — they have been about everything from exercising more, saving money, and spending more time with friends and family to being kinder and gentler with myself.

This year, I am making my resolution the title of one of my go-to self-help books: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffers. Last year, I was afraid of starting my Ed.D. program, and now I love it. I'm not saying I'm about to go skydiving or rock climbing, but I want to approach this year with a "can-do" attitude.  Before I tell myself "no" or procrastinate because I'm afraid of failing, I'm going to jump in, knowing that I'll always have a lifepreserver if I make a wrong decision...

I typically don't like leaving my comfort zone, but I find that some of my most amazing life experiences have happened when I took a chance--from studying abroad by myself in Spain, to planning National Park trips, to accepting high-level work positions, to paying for an in-ground swimming pool when I didn't have much money in savings... I don't regret any of these decisions. They have made life fuller and richer because of them.

I don't know what 2026 has in store for us, but with Lewie looking at colleges and Lew and I celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, I know change and celebrations are on the horizon...

Happy 2026!